Soul legend Bobby Womack was considered a survivor before starting work on his latest album (his first since 1994) The Bravest Man in the Universe, released in June. But after overcoming hospitalization with pneumonia and successful treatment of colon cancer while in the midst of recording the album, Womack has delivered his greatest comeback yet. Womack's first studio record in 12 years is a stunning mix of regretful introspection and hopeful romance, running the gamut from elecro-disco to stripped-down storytelling along the way.

As the favorite to win the Mercury Music Prize in November and a Top 20 phenomenon in the UK, Alt-J is perhaps the most successful British Band of 2012. Alt-J has made its splash with their debut album An Awesome Wave

Three years removed from their celebrated record Veckatimest, Grizzly Bear has once again earned critical acclaim with Shields, the band's fourth studio album. Shields builds upon the group's innovative indie rock of the past, mixing melodic pop with lush orchestrations and emotional honesty.

The legendary country singer-songwriter and actor continues to fuse multiple genres in his music with 3 Pears, his first album in five years. Released last month, the record is full of surprises, jumping from Motown and soul to light pop and no-frills rock and roll.

The Divine Fits are an indie rock group comprised of Spoon’s Britt Daniel, Dan Boeckner of Wolf Parade and Handsome Furs, and New Bomb Turks’ Sam Brown. A few years ago, Daniel attended a Handsome Furs concert; he and Boeckner have remained friends ever since.

Montreal based, Patrick Watson is a Montreal makes music the way some directors make film - wide angled and with lots of emotion. His last album 2009’s Wooden Arm was nominated for the Canadian Polaris Music Prize, a prestigious music award annually given to the best full-length Canadian album based on artistic merit, regardless of genre, sales, or record label.

Debo Band is an eleven member group from Boston that has a sound deeply influenced by the traditional music played in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in the late 60’s and early 70’s. This groovy harmony, referred to as Addis swing, came about in the cultural freedom of that period before a military coupe put an end to the era.

The David Wax Museum fuses traditional Mexican and American folk music into what the band refers to as “Mexo-Americana,” a style that is lively and unique. Museum’s breakthrough came during a performance at the 2010 Newport Folk Festival after which they were dubbed the breakout act of the festival.

Singer-songwriter Iris DeMent was born the youngest child of a large, Pentecostal family in rural Arkansas. She later moved to southern California and grew up listening to traditional country and gospel music that largely influenced her folk-country sound.

London folk rockers Mumford and Sons made a splash on the indie music scene with their 2009 debut album Say No More. The album combines the raspy crooning vocals of lead singer Marcus Mumford with lush harmonies and thoughtful lyrics in songs that range from soft and soothing to rocking, toe-tapping tunes.

San Antonio-based group Hacienda is a family band, comprised of brothers Abraham, Jaime, and Rene Villanueva and their cousin Dante Schwebel. The Tex-Mex rockers had just started the band and recorded their first demo when they had an encounter that would change the course of their musical career.

Australian indie band Husky take their name from their frontman and chief songwriter, Husky Gawenda, whose crooning vocals carry over the band’s artfully crafted instrumentals. The group is the first Aussie band signed to Sub Pop Records,

Following the success of their last record, the 2010 Grammy nominated album, Infinite Arms, alternative country rockers Band of Horses released their fourth studio album, Mirage Rock, on September 18. The record was produced by famed English musician/engineer/producer Glyn Johns,

Cold Specks is the stage name of 23-year-old Canadian singer-songwriter Al Spx. The London-based artist started Cold Specks as a small acoustic solo project for Spx to showcase her soulful voice and thoughtful lyrics, influenced by southern gospel music and soul musicians, such as James Carr.

Sidi Touré is a Songhai blues singer/songwriter who hails from northern Mali. Although Touré had a privileged upbringing growing up in a royal family in Mali, he still knows a thing or two about the blues that has influenced his music.

Yale dropout and prolific indie songwriter Dave Longstreth is back with a new CD, Swing Lo Magellan, released July 10.
Dirty Projectors had a breakthrough in 2009 with the album Bitte Orca, and released a much-anticpated new album in July on Domino Records.

Southern-style rhythm was always in Patterson Hood's blood. Born in Alabama to David Hood, a bassist for the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, young Patterson started writing songs at the age of eight. Within two decades, he would be known as a veteran musical talent writing songs and performing them on nationwide tours with country rock phenomenon Drive-By Truckers. Between 1996 and 2011, Hood and the Truckers would release nine albums, four of which peaked in the top fifty in the US. Not content to rest on his laurels, Patterson began simultaneously producing solo work in 2004.

Down to earth and very talented, Kelly Hogan is in demand and on the road most of the time. Opening - and singing backup vocals- for Neko Case - Hogan has not had much time to record solo.
Her recent release, I Like to Keep Myself In Pain, was her first in ten years (June, 2012 on ANTI Records).

The members of experimental psychedelic band Animal Collective first met in school in Baltimore County, Maryland. After collaborating on various musical endeavors throughout high school and college, David Porter and Noah Lennox put out their first album under the name “Avey Tare and Panda Bear” in 2000. The two were then joined by Brian Weitz for their second record, which was released in 2001 under the name Avey Tare, Panda Bear and Geologist.